In case people missed this, I will post it up again:
Thats very naive suggesting that doctors only perform abortions because it is "high paying"
I am sure that there are doctors who perform abortion for many other reasons than the pay.
I think you misinterpreted me: I meant that there are many non-Catholic doctors available for the procedure.
With the abortion case, I would like to straighten out some of my beliefs:
1. Women should be allowed to choose to undergo abortion LEGALLY and SAFELY
2. Although I oppose abortion where the conception could have been prevented (ie. the child was conceived of consensual relationship between two adults), I believe that this is a matter between the couple and especially the woman, since she is the one having the baby. After all, no matter how much us men say we empathise with the pains and aftermath of a child-birth, we will never really understand it. As a man, I understand that my understanding of pregnancy, stress of abortions is, and will always be, limited
3. Abortions are generally seriously thought about and 99% time, not a trivial decision by the potential mother
4. In some situations, the father escapes responsibility, and in the others, the mother cannot guarantee 100% support from the father for the next 18 years. For woman, it becomes obligation once the baby's born, for men, it is slightly more obligating than free will.
5. Giving up the child for adoption can be a painful process, especially for the mother, especially after all the labour and 10 months bonding she had with the child. Where she is in no position to be able to bring up the child, she will be emotionally scarred for life.
6. Therefore, the woman should always be given the final decision.
With forcing Catholic doctors to perform abortion:
1. Women have access to many doctors who are willing to conduct the abortion procedure who are not Catholic
2. Many Catholic doctors become obstericians to deliver babies which is considered a holy process
3. Abortion procedure is NOT the main role of an obsterician
4. Women would receive far better treatment, both emotionally and physically, from a willing doctor. Unwilling Catholic doctors are more likely to make them feel more guilty about the procedure and far less likely to reassure them about their rights as a woman
5. Many women who are considering abortion become emotionally unstable and a strong emotional support is needed from everyone, including the doctor, in order to not psychologically scar them for life.
Catholic doctors reaction:
1. Many doctors would be psychologically scarred due to having betrayed their religious doctrine
2. Many doctors are likely to quit, resulting in less obstetricians, which would mean less available doctors to meet women's other needs (eg. childbirth) or replacement with second-rate doctors
Political reaction:
1. This new legislation will be opposed heavily by the Catholic Church
2. Potential high-profile legal case, which would cost tax payers a lot of money which could have been spent better elsewhere
3. Since Catholic voters form a large percentage of the Australian population, the Government would need to do something in order them to recoup their general support
4. The Government will be forced to openly condemn the Church, which would lead to discrimination of Catholics in general, and may earn the Church antagonism from women's rights groups
5. Many who do not understand the Church will be quick to follow suit and this may create a wave of hatred towards the religion, leading to discrimination
As somebody have mentioned earlier, even the act of referral is a sin in the Catholic doctrine. For proof, we can see how Pontius Pilate is still condemned for Jesus's crucifixion even though he clearly stated that he does not endorse it.
But of course, now that we have legalised abortion, it would only be logical for the government to force the Catholic doctors to refer the patients to someone who will perform the procedure since after all, we want to ensure best support for the expectant women, right?
Well, the following are my thoughts:
1. Instead of forcing Catholic doctors to refer, they are better off having mandatory pregnancy advisors in every major hospital. Costs too much? If they can throw away millions of dollars for a useless internet censorship program, and potential millions more as they prepare to battle against Catholic Church, they can afford this. Also, this would increase jobs, and be an efficient way of stimulating the economy.
2. Catholics doctors oppose abortion. What convinces the government to think that such doctors would know many good aborting doctors? If they are just going to refer them to some other random doctor, the woman could have just done the same thing by visiting major clinics with non-Catholic doctors.
In conclusion, the Government should know where to draw the fine line between supporting women's rights and invading the freedom of others. Both can co-exist, and the Government, and some members of VCE Notes, should not pretend that the Catholics are in some where violating women's rights.
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